I fancy a new pair of walking trousers but have a dilemma. Do I go for a hard shell waterproof pant like the Rab Latok or go for something a bit more high tech and versatile such as the Rohan Superstriders or Montane Air Pants?

If I buy the Latoks they will probably sit in the pack for most of the time as I won't be arsed to get them out unless the weather is really, really wet.

On the other hand if I get the Montane's or the Rohan's they'll be well used but I'm bound to get wet as they won't be fully waterproof . . . or will they.

I can get Latok's for £90 and Rohan's for the same but the Montane's will be about £120. It's a lot oof money to lash out. What should I do?

Or, do I buy those funny things from Paramo? Would the Aspira be suitable or would they be too warm at any time of the year other than winter?

I'm heading for Ambleside to do the Fairfield Horseshoe on Saturday so would be aiming to have some retail therapy after the walk.

Over to you . . .

Pants?

I thought you meant underwear. Are you a merkin??

The Montane Air is a fully waterproof pant, uses eVENT plus some Freeflow Stretch reinforcement panels on the knees I think, so it's also an overtrouser. Are you maybe thinking of the Terra Stretch Pant?

Fwiw, I think it's down to personal preference. I rarely use overtrousers in the UK. I'd rather wear something with reasonably water and wind resistance and greater breathability and versatile.

Personally I find Paramo legwear too warm unless it's sub-zero, but again, it all depends on you and how hot you run.

Really you need to decide how warm you run, whether you need fully waterproof trousers or simply weather resistant ones and, if you go for the former, what you'd wear underneath them anyway. There's an argument for wearing a Schoeller-type pant and carrying a simple, lightweight overtrouser for when conditions get really savage.

Hope that's some minor help :-)

I like paramo cascadas for winter - but I'm a bit nesh. They're comfy and warm and windproof but still waterproof. It's nice to never have that dilemma of whether it's bad enough to put your overtrouseres on or whether to wait a bit etc. etc.

Schoeller is fab too (I have lowe alpine multipitch trousers and they are great) - carrying waterproof trousers in case things take a turn of the worserer, as Jon said.

Cath, what's nesh?

Feels the cold.

I don’t run particularly hot so Paramo works well for me. If it’s already tipping down I tend to wear my Cascada trousers from the outset. At this time of the year they keep me warm and dry all day and I don’t overheat. The cascadas are fully waterproof so no need for over-trousers.

Otherwise I wear polartech powerstretsh tights or Polartech powershield trousers - maybe I just like things beginning with p :) Personally I like trousers that stretch a fair bit. The trousers are warmer than the tights and have a DWR which keep me dry for up to a few hours in rain - their effectiveness depends on how heavy the rain and how recently they’ve been reproofed - Techwash do a wash in reproofer for soft shell. In this case I carry over-trousers just in case - they are cheapo Regatta ones I’ve had for years and still do the job, though I rarely need to use them.

My partner likes his Mammut Champ pants which are Schoeller dry skin I think - another soft shell. Even when freshly reproofed they do tend to wet out a bit quicker than my polartech powershield ones.

I'm usually quite hot so I've ruled out the Paramo. Any other thoughts?

My current faves are Haglofs Nansen Mountain Pants. They're a bit quirky, heavy canvas-esque material, but great pockets and huge vents in the thighs. Not stretchy at all, but good movement windproof and water resistent.
Montane terras are great too, in cold weather I wear merino longjons under them, in summer they're great on their own. Again no stretch though. Mammut Courmayeur pants are another one I use a lot, great stretch, a thigh pocket amd lightweight.

As had been said already, try Schoeller. I find it just right for winter conditinos, with a lightweight Paclite overtrouser for really wet stuff. If well looked after, Schoeller will shed water (and snow and mud) incredibly well. It's also quite stretchy, so you don;t end up with flaps of loose, wet material.

> It's also quite stretchy, so you don;t end up with flaps of loose, wet material

Unless, of course, the manufacturer chooses to ignore the stretch properties and cuts it like a normal trouser...

(which a number do, unaccountably.)

October to May i wear Cascadas as a matter of course (unless seasonally very warm).

In summer, on a day trip, if it looks ok, i just wear any old outdoor 'pants' with some cheap over trews in the pack (worn once in 2 years).

If it looks slightly iffy in summer i wear my buffalo pertex (equimax) trews that are as waterproof as you need really. Dont bother with overtrews.

They might be too hot sometimes, but then so would normal trail trews. You take your decision to wear shorts and get wet, or these and overhear. They're still better than *any* combination of trews/shorts and overtrousers.

Schoeller all the way for autumn-spring, Marmot ATVs being my choice.
For summer or generally warmish and dry weather, I have a few pairs of MHW Canyon pants

AS a general rule i use Mountain Hardwear pack pants most of the year round, they are about 60 quid, but i did see some cheaper in nevisport in edinburgh last weekend...

They bead water off to a certain extent!

Best thing i wore them 5 days in a row in snowdonia in the summer, they didnt smell that bad at all! and didnt rub once! well worth the money i think, bought another pair in rock bottom and they rock too!!!

Ended up with a pair of Rab Latok's which will probably spend most of their life in my backpack. Nice pants though and a bargain for £90

Harry, where did you get them for £90... it's worth a nosey at that price :-)

Cheers.

Alex.

Alex, got them from The Mountain Factor in Ambleside.